Free resources

Future skills for government communicators report

This report examines the capability needs of government communications professionals in a context
defined by rapid technological change, declining trust, hybrid workplaces, and a fragmented attention economy. While core professional foundations such as strategic thinking, problem-solving, and evidence-based decision-making remain essential, the operating environment is changing quickly, and skills and knowledge must remain current to add value.

Communication strategy template
If you need help getting started on a communications strategy, here is a template to ensure you cover all the basics.

The communications prebunking playbook
This playbook helps communicators proactively address misinformation by preparing audiences before false or misleading claims take hold. Grounded in best practice and behavioural science, it focuses on early risk identification, clear communication, and targeted engagement and provides practical tools and strategies for communications teams to use.

Issues and crisis management protocol template
Part of managing your organisation’s reputation is ensuring that you can effectively handle an issue or crisis that comes your way. Having a clear issue and crisis communications protocol in place helps ensure you are ready. Here is a template to get you started.

Environmental scan template
One of the most overlooked elements of strategic communications is environmental scanning. We love the PESTLE framework as it’s easy but comprehensive so we’ve created a template with some questions to help get to your answers.

Social media channel plan
Many of us still struggle with how to manage social media effectively. Elm believes part of the answer is in using communication strategy fundamentals so here is a plan to help get you back on track.

Writing checklist
Whether you hate it or love it, writing is part of most people’s jobs. To help ensure you’re on the right track, download Elm’s writing checklist.

Team leader (Manager) toolkit

Creating a team leader toolkit can help you to efficiently and effectively engage with managers to ensure they are able to cascade corporate messages to their staff. It needs to be simple and easy to follow to ensure the best results.

Employee engagement plan
Internal communications has never been more challenging. The way we work is changing, and we need to change how we think about engaging our employees. Here is a short template to get your engagement plan started.

Team building activities
Love them or hate them, team building activities do work! They help to increase communication and connection in a team. We have put together a team building activities guide with some of the favourites that Melanie used regularly in her team planning days.

Online team building activities
In today’s world, when most of us work in a hybrid environment, you can’t do all of your team building face-to-face. Here are some ideas for team building activities online.

What makes a great facilitator?
Whether you are a seasoned pro or a novice, it’s always good to remember the basics of great facilitation. We put together a quick cheat sheet of the traits you need to be a great facilitator.

Five principles of behaviour change

Five principles of behaviour change to keep in mind when you are developing your communication strategies.

Activity tracking journal
Use this template to help track your engagement and energy over a few weeks and note the patterns in your data. This will help you design your space, energy and mindset for a more productive day!

Team leader development checklist
AI is changing how communications work gets done. While this brings real efficiency, it also removes many of the tasks that traditionally helped early career communicators learn the craft. If you lead communications teams, this checklist is designed to help you ensure that learning, judgement and professional development don’t get lost as productivity increases.

Team collaboration audit
A simple, practical collaboration audit based on behavioural science principles. This tool will help you assess the key
conditions for effective collaboration and build an approach that becomes part of the way your team naturally works.